St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-11-05

Boys and the Hotels Along the
Line.
All travelling men who make Southern
Minnesota. and especially those who
cross over to Preston from IsinOrS, will
remember II. c. POOler. For years he
has owned the stage route and carried
the mail and passengers between the two
points. During all this time he has never
failed, no matter what was the state of
the weather. The sunshine and storm,
the Severest blizzard, always found him
in waiting, with good comfortable wraps
in stormy times and pleasant smiles for
the sunshine. All is changed now; an
other man guards the old reliable stage,
another face will greet the weary knight
upon the arrival Of the l and a. m.
trains. 1t was not always well with
POoler. Through his own actions for
mer lines were hard; change came
over him. prosperity smiled upon him,
and having by industry and economy
gained fair compensation of worldly
goods, he a few days since laid down
the lines delegating the hard work to
another, and younger man. We con-
graduate you, brother POOler. and wish
success to your follower. 1t goes with
out saying that POoler, who has lived
SO many years upon the stage boot,
scarcely knows what bed is, for that
reason he has provided himself with
bran new winter suit to sleep in, being
determined not to be debarred from reg
ular sleep.
For long weeks l kept out of south
western Minnesota. From the varied
stories l had been led to believe the
monster chinch bug had devoured every
thing, even to the barbed wire fences,
=, 10, lac.
had been destroyed by their eating the
ties and rails. What was my disap-
pointment to find the railroads and
fences in good condition, that
horns still grew from the
cattle'S heads, and wool upon sleeps
backs. 1t was not great cry and little
work, but rather the reverse. Crops,
perhaps, are somewhat less, but it is one
of the finest sections of Gods country
and will soon recUperate. A little more
common horse sense and not so much ado
about nothing and the country would be
far better off.
During the last few days of my annual
travels have in divers places heard
considerable discussion about relief as
sociatIOnS, the T. p. A, what travelling
men should and should not do. The
burden of the whole thing was that we
should become more thoroughly organ
lied by the perfection of such OrganiZa
tionS as now exist, and the institution of
no more new ones than are actually de-
manded and will be perfected. The Il.
P. A. has come in for a good share of
attention from its eX-members
and travellers generally: Now
am led to ask the T. p. A.
statement of what has been done with
the money obtained in the way of men,
bership and annual dues, the sale of
hotel directory cards at s. each, the sale
of its trade mark as a manufacturers
brand, the moneys obtained by its Secre-
tary from the sale of pins Tor badges,
which have been doled out to its mem
berShip at hundred per cent profit.
All this has amounted to several thOus-
and dollars annually, and its member.
both the paying ones and ex, as well as
the travelling men generally, are asking
these questions and saying what have
they done for all this. Have they Sc
cured for US better railroad facilities,
hotel service or bus service, which
would not have come through gen
eral causes? With all their
boosted professions what have they
done? and what are they doing?
Mutual and Indemnity Relief assOcia-
ton has paid nearly $1,000 to its MEM
bers and their legal heirs, in the way of
funeral expenses and relief through
sickness. Its paying membership is
about 900. 1t is an institution well wOr-
thy the attention of every travelling
man of the Northwest.
Among the travelling men there is
much general complaint of hotel service.
Much of it is induced by the unjust dis
elimination. and the singing out of the
travelling man as the burden bearer of
the expense. No commercial man
thinks his money is worth less than the
farmer or tOwnSman, and If they shall
be provided with meals at % cents or 81
rates why should not the travelling man?
We often notice copies OF extracts of an
ordinance for the protection of inn keep
erS tackled upon the doors of sleeping
rooms in hotels, but where have You
ever noticed such extracts from legis-
latiVe enactmentS for the benefit or pro-
lection of the travelling man? Has it
ever occurred to my brother travellers
that little needed legislation in their
behalf could be induced-SOme sort of
interstate hotel law which would pre-
vent discrimination, the obtaining of
two prices for one given? A year hence
the Minnesota state legislature will be
in session. Can we not in the meantime
put our heads together, secure the aid
of our employers, who are equally inter
ested, and thus secure the passage, of an
act that will secure equal and exact JUS
tice to all in the way of hotel service?
What say you? | could mention to-day
a half-dozen hotels in Minnesota and
Dakota that l believe could be pro-
eeeded against for the maintenance of
the rankest kind of nuisances, which
are breeding sickness and pestilence,
and there should be law to reach such
fellows. ANTE LUCEM.